Last weekend at EISL Championships, the men's swim team's 200-yard medley relay squad became the second fastest relay team in Brown history with a time of 1:31:68. The team is composed of Kevin Hug '08 with the backstroke, Michael O'Mara '07 with the breaststroke, Daniel Ricketts '09 with the butterfly and freestyler Brian Kelly '08. The Bears finished seventh overall at the meet.
Herald: Where have you been swimming since Smith Swim Center closed?Hug: We have traveled to Providence College, Seekonk High School and sometimes the Fox Point Boys Club pool. It's probably the worst pool I've ever seen.O'Mara: The pool is three feet deep in the shallow end and four lanes. But at least it was a pool. We're lucky that the pool problems didn't affect us for the majority of the season.
Brian, how does it feel to be a part of Brown history as the second fastest 200-yard medley relay team?Kelly: We really wanted to break (the record), but it was a great effort by everyone. I would like to get the number-one team tested (for steroids), although the record was from a while ago. I'll be shocked if we don't break at least three relay records next year, despite losing Michael.
Brian, in addition to your success in the relay, you placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle. How exciting was it to set Brown's 100-yard free record in the process?Kelly: It was great. I get my name on the board. I thought I was going to do it, but I didn't expect it this year. I thought I could get it done by senior year, but I was pretty pumped. My time of 44.81 was good for fourth at the meet.
Is it tough to be leaving this relay team after such a successful season?O'Mara: It's bittersweet. On one hand, I would love to swim with these guys for another year, so I could be part of what they are doing. But on the other hand, I have been swimming for 17 years. That's a pretty long time. I'm pretty happy to confront other challenges, like some amateur triathlons.
Have you competed in one before?O'Mara: I've competed in an Iron Man competition at Coeur d'Alene (Idaho). It's the same distance as the real Iron Man competition (bike 112 miles, run 26.2 miles, swim 2.4 miles). I was actually fifth out of the water, 1,001st off the bike and around 1,400th when I finished in 13 hours and 25 minutes. Over the course of two hours, I got passed by around 1,400 people.
What was the hardest part?O'Mara: The last 200 yards are crazy. Although it had been about four hours since the winner had crossed the finish line, there were still hundreds of fans, maybe eight deep, cheering for you. You sprint the last 200 yards and they check you for hyponutrimia to make sure you were eating enough during the bike and run.
What did you eat and drink?O'Mara: I drank Gatorade, power gels and some chicken broth. Then I ate some power bars, bananas and some of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You have to eat in small portions.
Kevin, why does everyone know that you are from Tampa?Hug: Probably because I talk about it all the time. It's my hometown, and I'm pretty proud of it. Hooters started there and George Steinbrenner grew up there. O'Mara: His sister is also a great swimmer. Hug: My sister made it to the NCAA tournament as a freshman swimmer at Stanford University. She's currently 30th in the country. O'Mara: Kevin is currently the tallest swimmer in the Ivy League Conference at 6-feet, 8-inches.
What did you do after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in 2003?Hug: I drove to the stadium and got caught in a massive traffic jam at 10 p.m. on a Sunday night. It was gridlocked around the stadium. Florida is by far the best sports state over the last decade.
Dan, do you love Maryland as much as Kevin loves Florida?Ricketts: I love the Baltimore Ravens. They are going to win the Super Bowl for the next five years.O'Mara: Ricketts is a good source of humor on the team. He keeps us lighthearted. He has a great photo on the Brown Bears Web site. As a team, we went four weeks without shaving and he was the only one to grow a full beard.
